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The son of George H. and Flora Robertson Brimhall, Dean was born on December 11, 1886, in Provo, Utah. George H. Brimhall served as president of Brigham Young University from 1903-1921.
In 1907 young Brimhall left for Germany to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). While in Germany he watched Orville Wright make the first power-plane flight in 1908. Kaiser Wilhelm attended the event with 250,000 soldiers and many other onlookers. This was Brimhall's first exposure to the wonders of human flight. In 1909 Brimhall returned to the United States.
Returning to Utah, Dean Brimhall enrolled at Brigham Young University and graduated in 1913 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. He received a scholarship to study at Columbia University in New York City and received his master's degree in 1916. Intermittently between 1916-1922 Brimhall taught psychology at BYU and was an instructor at Columbia in 1917-18. During this time he also served as personal assistant to Dr. James McKeen Cattell, nationally renown psychologist. (He was so impressed with the great psychologist that he later named his son McKeen.) In 1920 Brimhall received his Ph.D. at Columbia.
While living in New York, Brimhall met his future wife Lila Eccles. They were married on August 28, 1917, and later had two children--a son, McKeen, and daughter, Frances. McKeen was killed in action during World War II. Frances married Hal Osborn.
After receiving his Ph.D. Brimhall was successful as co-editor of the third edition of
In 1922 Brimhall became the first executive-secretary of the Psychological Corporation in New York City. He helped organize this corporation which was headed by E. L. Thorndike of Columbia; J. McKeen Cattell of Science Press; James R. Angell, the president of Yale University; and others. The purpose of this organization was to effect contacts between qualified psychologists and business firms that wanted their services, and to conduct human engineering research for business.
In 1925 Brimhall left the Psychological Corporation, returned to Utah, and entered private business. He became the treasurer of the Mt. Hood Railroad, a director of the Oregon Lumber Company, and an operator of large real estate holdings. It was at this time that Brimhall and Robert H. Hinckley started Utah Pacific Airways, Inc.
Utah Pacific Airways first represented the Beechcraft organization but later became a distributor for Curtiss-Wright Company. While serving as president of Utah Pacific, Brimhall helped promote the first air census of big game. The method he devised was so successful it replaced the inefficient and expensive ground counting method. He also directed the first experiments by the United States Forest Service in the use of airplanes to control forest fires.
Brimhall became very interested in aviation safety programs. The practices he established for Utah Pacific were so successful that during six years of training hundreds of students, transporting charter passengers, and conducting experiments for government agencies, not one pilot or passenger was killed or injured.
In 1933 Brimhall became the Utah director of aviation for the Civil Works Administration. He worked to construct a network of municipal and emergency landing fields throughout the state.
During the early years of the Roosevelt administration, he was Utah planning director for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA). In January of 1935 he became director of the Utah State Planning Board, which developed policies for the extensive federal work programs of the state. Later that same year Brimhall accepted a position with the Works Progress Administration under Harry L. Hopkins. He served as an advisor on labor relations from 1935 until 1939. While serving with the WPA Brimhall fought to keep relief funds for those unable to find employment in private business.
Robert H. Hinckley, chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Authority, made Brimhall his assistant in 1939. Together Hinckley and Brimhall conceived and organized the first civilian pilot training program in the year just prior to World War II. This program was so successful that at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), the number of civilian pilots had increased from 25,000 to 100,000 and the number of airplanes from 12,000 to 25,000.
In 1940 when Hinckley became Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Air, Brimhall again became his assistant. Brimhall also became the director of research for the Civil Aeronautics Administration where he conducted experiments that were of great value to both military and civilian aviation. His investigations into the causes of air accidents led to the use of safety devices which cut the accident rate among private flyers by fifty per cent. The stall warning device was probably the most important of these. Brimhall also directed investigations leading to more accurate and equitable proficiency flight tests for the air transport rating of pilots.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration acted on Brimhall's advice and appointed 7,000 examiners of airplanes and pilots who worked without pay. This practice not only avoided government employment of hundreds of inspectors at a very large cost, but it put the responsibility for inspection service on the members of the trade. This, Brimhall considered one of his greatest achievements. Dean Brimhall retired from the CAA and government work in 1951.
In 1947 Brimhall and Arthur S. Otis undertook a research project to discover how consistent congressmen's voting records were. After studying and compiling the voting records of all representatives and senators, they published an article titled "Consistency of Voting by Our Congressmen" in the
Brimhall and his wife Lila acquired "Manana Farm," a fifty-two acre orchard near the village of Fruita, in Wayne County, Utah, in the 1940s. This farm, located in the Capitol Reef area, was where Brimhall spent vacations and much of his time after retiring.
After he retired, Brimhall developed a great interest in Indian pictographs and became an authority on Indian art in Utah's Canyonlands. He devoted many years to photographing these pictographs and was often accompanied by world-renowned archeologists on these excursions. He astounded younger colleagues with the way he challenged perilous ledges when in his eighties. When he was eighty years old and two hundred of his invaluable slides were stolen from his car, he vowed to go back and photograph them again. Fortunately, many of the friends he had led into the canyons sent their slides to replace his.
Brimhall remained active long after retirement. He was always interested in national, state, and local politics, and never hesitated to express his views. One such way was by writing letters to the editors of various newspapers. His testimony and lobbying helped insure the preservation of irreplaceable pictographs by including them within the boundaries of Canyonlands National Park. Brimhall also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Utah State Historical Society for a number of years. He died on May 14, 1972, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Dean R. Brimhall papers (1886-1980) are arranged in ten major subject categories: Personal Material; General Correspondence;
The personal material is contained in Boxes 1-11. The first part is Brimhall's personal correspondence, most of which is with his wife Lila and immediate family. The family correspondence is arranged chronologically starting in 1924 and ending in 1972. There is also correspondence between Brimhall and other relatives, including a considerable amount with his brother Wells Brimhall. The rest of the personal material includes biographical material, diaries and day books (arranged by date), Brimhall family records, personal records and momentos, Fruita property, David Eccles Estate, income tax returns, financial records, George H. Brimhall Diary, and miscellany.
The second major category, general correspondence (Boxes 12-21), is arranged alphabetically. If a person has more than one letter in the collection the letters are arranged chronologically under the name. For example, Robert H. Hinckley's correspondence is found under "H" and arranged chronologically starting with the earliest date. Letters from important people and about significant events in Brimhall's life are paraphrased and cited in the register. There is also correspondence contained in other subject categories.
The third category,
The Psychological Corporation materials in Box 24 comprise correspondence (arranged alphabetically), charter and by-laws, James McKeen Cattell Fund, shareholders meetings, interim and annual reports, and articles and publications.
Utah Pacific Airways material (Box 25) includes correspondence and business records. The correspondence is arranged chronologically.
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) materials in Boxes 26-39 contain Brimhall's papers dealing with this organization. Dean Brim-hall was an advisor on labor relations for the WPA from 1935-39. There are other materials in this section that do not fall within these years. Correspondence, the first part of the WPA material, is arranged alphabetically. The next section concerns the Mormon Church Relief Program. Brimhall collected a large amount of material on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welfare and relief programs. The material is primarily newspaper clippings arranged chronologically. The last portion deals with Dr. Louis Wirth, a sociology professor at the University of Chicago, and his study of relief in Utah. The WPA materials also include speeches by Brimhall and others. Brimhall's speeches are arranged chronologically and those by other people alphabetically. There are news stories, articles, and Hoover administration material on relief and statistics that Brimhall collected. One section contains the WPA handbook
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) materials are contained in Boxes 40-51. Brimhall served as assistant to the chairman 1939-40 and as director of research in the CAA 1940-51. Correspondence is arranged by subject and then chronologically within the subject. The speeches given by Brimhall are arranged chronologically, those given by other people are arranged alphabetically by surname. Also in the CAA materials are the records of the accident study conducted on aviation during World War I and CAA medical research records. The rest of the Civil Aeronautics Administration material includes research by the Educational Research Council, Institute of Aeronautical Sciences, and The National Research Council. Also there are publications of the CAA Division of Research, CAA research projects, newspaper clippings, articles, publications, proposed book on aviation psychology, and records concerned with the Civilian Pilot Training Program, Psycho-technique Conference, and the Royal Canadian Institute.
Boxes 52-70 contain materials under various names and subject titles that were collected by Brimhall. The article written by Brimhall and Arthur S. Otis entitled "Consistency of Voting by Our Congressmen," published in the
The Lila Eccles Brimhall papers are in Boxes 71-75. Lila, Dean's wife, was an accomplished actress in local theatre productions and a professor in the Speech and Theater Department at the University of Utah. The Lila Brimhall materials include correspondence, awards, speeches, theater scripts, newsclippings, and theater scrapbooks.
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Boxes 1-73 were donated in 1972-1974.
Boxes 74-75 were donated in 1991.
Photographs and audio-visual materials were transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P0114 and A0473).
Processed by Della L. Dye and others in 1977 and 1991.
Family Genealogical Sheet.
History and biography of the first part of life, written by Grace Brimhall, 1890.
Biographical sketch, written by Grace Brimhall Calderwood.
Report cards from Salt Lake City public schools, 1893-1894.
Patriarchal blessing, 1896.
Certificate of Ordination to the Seventies Quorum (LDS Church), 1911.
Graduation from Brigham Young University, 1913.
Columbia University certificate of grades, 1915, and appointment as assistant professor, 1917.
Birth certificate, June 3, 1918.
Commission as a second lieutenant, 1918.
Passports and student pilot certificate, 1938.
Works Progress Administration appointments, 1938-1939.
Civil Aeronautics Authority and Civil Aeronautics Administration appointments, 1939-1944.
Civil Aeronautics Administration efficiency rating reports, 1944-1950.
Retirement from the Civil Aeronautics Administration, 1951.
Exceptional Service Award of the United States Department of Commerce (Gold Medal Award), 1952.
World War II ration books.
Medical reports and final illness, 1972-1973.
Appointment to the State Board of History by Governor Calvin L. Rampton, 1969.
Memorial Fund, 1972.
Memorial Service, May 1972.
Obituaries, May 1972.
Death, letters of condolence to Lila Brimhall, 1972.
Warranty Deed, 1943.
Plans for house in Torrey, Utah.
Property sold for highway construction.
Manana Farm Pipeline, 1953-1958.
Deeding of property to United States government to become part of Capitol Reef National Monument, September 1960-January 1967.
Purchase of butyl rubber irrigation tubing system, 1964.
Financial Records, 1922-1928.
Correspondence, 1955.
Settlement, 1949-1966.
Including an automobile accident with John Stanley Elmer, 1965-1967.
A complete index of names is included in the first ten pages of the diary.
George H. Brimhall served as the third president of Brigham Young University, 1903-1921. There are many entries during this period referring to BYU and activities associated with his presidency.
Many entries deal with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and speeches given by important church leaders such as Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Heber J. Grant, John Q. Cannon, Erastus Snow, Joseph F. Smith, etc.
Brimhall wrote often of his family and there are many references about his wives, children, and grandchildren. His first wife was Alsina E. Wilkins, and the children born to them were Lucy J., Alsina E., George W., Mark H., Wells L., and Milton H. His second wife was Flora Robertson, and the children born to them were Dean R., Fay R., Fawn R., Ruth Afton, Paul R., Alta R., Golden H., and Arco R.
In addition to entries referring to his presidency at BYU, the LDS Church, and his family he wrote about important events, personal feelings on subjects, the state of his health, and the normal day-to-day routine activities of his life.
June 15, 1942 - Copy of the famous Wentworth letter written by Joseph Smith to a newspaperman is sent to Fawn Brodie.
November 5, 1945 - From J. M. Cummings. Cummings is very critical of Brodie's book,
June 12, 1946 - To Thomas E. McKay from H. Grant Ivins commending his daughter Fawn McKay Brodie for her courage in writing
June 18, 1946 - To Dean Brimhall from Fawn Brodie, discussing Brodie's excommunication from the LDS church.
May 19, 1972 - To Lila Brimhall from Brodie writing of Dean's funeral and memorial service. She offers to help edit a book about pictographs and petroglyphs taken from Dean's notes on the subject.
June 15, 1972 - To Lila Brimhall from Everett L. Cooley, curator of Western Americana, University of Utah Library discussing the possibility of writing a book on Indian Rock Art from Dean's notes on the subject.
December 23, 1972 - To Fawn Brodie from George Pfeiffer III, American West Publishing Company stating company is very much interested in the possibility of publishing a book on Indian Rock Art by Dean Brimhall.
"Polygamy Shocks the Mormons,"
"Evidences and Reconciliations,"
Review by C. J. Hunt, mimeograph.
Review in
Review by Vardis Fisher,
"Burton and the City of the Saints," typescript.
"The Political Hero in America: His Fate and His Future,"
Review by Brodie of
"Who Won the Civil War, Anyway?"
"Acceptance Speech of Fawn McKay Brodie, Utah Historical Society Annual Meeting, September 23, 1967, University of Utah," typescript.
"Ronald Reagan Plays Surgeon,"
Review of
"Big Daddy vs. Mr. Clean [Jesse Unruh and Ronald Reagan]"
Review of
Newsclippings.
In Memorium, 1944.
Testimonial.
Biographical material.
August 7, 1936 - To Harold B. Lee from Brimhall comparing the LDS Church Welfare Program and the Works Progress Administration. Lee is thanked for the information he provided on the LDS Church Welfare Program.
August 15, 1936 - To Hinckley from Brimhall discussing politics and the election of 1936. The
September 6, 1936 - To Hinckley from Brimhall enclosing WPA workers handbook, the first document put out by the administration addressed to the workers personally.
October 6, 1936 - To Hinckley from Brimhall praising the publication of the WPA handbooks. Brimhall proposes holding a national conference for the purpose of determining the facts regarding national unemployment.
February 9, 1937 - To Brimhall from Hinckley discussing the controversy surrounding President Roosevelt's Supreme Court plan.
August 4, 1938 - To Hinckley from Brimhall notifying him his resignation from the office of secretary-treasurer of the Utah Pacific Airways, Inc. was formally accepted by the board.
August 14, 1939 - To Hinckley from Brimhall explaining the statistics from the Wirth study on relief in Utah.
September 16, 1939 - To Ross G. Harrison, chairman of the National Research Council, from Hinckley asking the National Research Council to help the Civil Aeronautics Authority organize research studies for the Civil Pilot Training Program.
August 14, 1940 - To Hinckley from Calvin W. Rawlings telling of articles in the
June 29, 1942 - To Hinckley from President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepting Hinckley's resignation as Assistant Secretary of Commerce. Hinckley is complimented for his achievements in the field of aviation. His most important achievements are highlighted and President Roosevelt expresses his gratitude to Hinckley for his service in government work.
January 7, 1943 - To Brimhall from Hinckley requesting a copy of Brimhall's paper on "The Causes of the Fall of Greece and Rome."
January 11, 1943 - To Brimhall from Hinckley notifying him he is being sent a volume entitled, "Reports of Expenditures by the Committee on Selection and Training of Aircraft Pilots from Contract No. 525 with the Civil Aeronautics Authority 1939-40."
May 16, 1969 - To Lurton J. Knee from Senator Wallace F. Bennett implying that if the park boundaries of Capitol Reef are expanded and surround Knees ranch, he will come under the jurisdiction of the Park Service. Bennett says, "The government will use its power of condemnation and secure all private lands inside the boundaries, including yours."
January 27, 1955 - To Brimhall from Linford who is about to compile a file on past utterances and actions of Governor J. Bracken Lee.
July 2, 1972 - To Lila Brimhall from Linford describing plans for a permanent memorial to Dean Brimhall and of finding a place for his books, art, and various other papers.
February 3, 1945 - To Brimhall from Morgan concerning the LDS church and its dealings in the early years in Utah, specifically its form of government in Utah Territory. Morgan quotes from
April 10, 1947 - To Morgan from Brimhall congratulating Morgan for writing the book
September 6, 1947 - To Brimhall from Morgan concerning the Mormon church and some of its activities in Missouri. He also states some of his personal opinions about how the Mormon church operates.
April 19, 1961 - To Brimhall from Moss dealing with highway construction to Capitol Reel National Monument. Moss expresses the hope that local people will find the financial offers by the federal government sufficient to permit them to purchase land elsewhere.
May 18, 1961 - To Brimhall from Moss commending Brimhall for his stand on the construction of transmission lines (Colorado River Storage Project). Brimhall favors construction by the federal government as opposed to construction by private utility companies.
April 6, 1962 - To Brimhall from Moss asking Brimhall to testify before the hearings of the Public Lands Subcommittee of the Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Committee in favor of the senator's bill to establish Canyonlands National Park.
Naming of certain geographical feature "Brimhall Point," 1972.
Newsclippings.
September 18, 1961 - To Congressman Peterson from Brimhall commending Peterson for his support of the plan for federal transmission lines for the Colorado River Storage Project.
April 17, 1939 - To Thomas R. Amlie from President Roosevelt, who, at Amlie's request, withdrew his name for nomination to the Interstate Commerce Commission. President Roosevelt condemns those people who, for political reasons, have called Amlie a Communist. The President states "that such name-calling ill serves the democratic form of Government which this Nation as a whole wishes to continue."
Receipts.
"Glen Canyon Journey, October 3 to November 16, 1959," by Elizabeth Sprang, typescript.
An open letter to Stanford University and Brigham Young University, 1969.
February 2, 1939 - To President Franklin D. Roosevelt from Trapp asking the President to lift the embargo on munitions to Spain so that the fascist rebels would not defeat the Spanish loyalists.
Precipitation Records, 1960.
An Autobiography, 1965.
This book was published for the purpose of providing a short biographical sketch of important men in science. Dean Brimhall was co-editor of the 1921 edition.
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Philosophy, Columbia University. Reprinted from
This edition has a biographical sketch of Dean Brimhall.
Dean R. Brimhall worked for the Psychological Corporation from 1922-25. He served as the first executive-secretary, and also helped organize this group which was headed by E. L. Thorndike, of Columbia; J. McKeen Cattell, of Science Press; James R. Angell, president of Yale; and others. The Psychological Corporation was located in New York City and organized for the purpose of conducting human engineering research for business and to effect contacts between qualified psychologists and business firms that wanted their help. Brimhall left the Psychological Corporation in 1925, but after he retired from government service he served as a trustee of the James McKeen Cattell Fund.
Biographical material.
Request for grant to study.
The Utah Pacific Airways, organized by Dean Brimhall and Robert H. Hinckley in 1926, was located in Ogden, Utah. At first the organization represented Beechcraft, but later it became a distributor of the Curtiss-Wright Company. It was the largest organization of its kind in the Rocky Mountain States. Brimhall served as president of this company from 1926-34. As president he helped promote the first aviation census of wild game, and directed the first experiments of the use of airplanes for the control of forest fires. Another interest of Brimhall's was safety. Safety practices he established were so successful that during six years of training hundreds of pilots, transporting charter passengers, and conducting experiments for government agencies, not one pilot or passenger was killed or injured.
In 1935 Dean Brimhall accepted a position with the Works Progress Administration as an advisor for labor relations. He served until 1939 under WPA administrator Harry L. Hopkins. During this time Brimhall was an outspoken defender of the Roosevelt administration and of the Works Progress Administration. He gave many speeches and always fought for the workers' rights.
January 4, 1938 - To Anderson from Brimhall. Enclosed with the letter is a copy of the article "The Myth of Mormon Work Relief."
Publications on youth and conservation.
September 9, 1935 - To Brimhall from Harry L. Kinear. Status of Brimhall changed by Harry Hopkins from labor advisor and assistant director to labor management-assistant administrator in the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.
July 14, 1936 - Memorandum to Harry Hopkins from Brimhall giving an explanation of the Mormon Church Relief Program. He also says a few things about the church and how he thinks it operates.
December 23, 1938 - Memorandum to David Niles from Brimhall. Brimhall has succeeded in getting Professor Louis Wirth, a sociologist from the University of Chicago, to direct the study of Utah and the Mormon Relief Plan.
December 13, 1934 - To Brimhall from Buttenheim, editor of
June 26, 1936 - To Frank Y. McLaughlin from Hopkins noting that the WPA has just completed its first year of existence. He states the purposes and accomplishments of the program and the responsibilities of the WPA
March 15, 1936 - To Brimhall from Howe in which a newspaper clipping is enclosed telling about Robert Hinckley's resignation as assistant WPA administrator in charge of the Western States.
November 11, 1936 - To Brimhall from B. E. Mallary complimenting him on the WPA pamphlet
September 30, 1938 - To Nelson from Brimhall concerning criticism of WPA programs. The candidacy of Franklin S. Harris for the United States Senate is also discussed. Brimhall tells of the upcoming study on the Mormon Relief program.
May 24, 1937 - To Niles from Robert Hinckley. Hinckley investigated charges that the WPA was robbing the labor market and found them not true. He tells of cases where WPA projects have been stopped so that the workers could be used by private local employers but it was found that private employers could not use all the WPA workers.
September 14, 1938 - Memorandum to Brimhall from Ozer discussing the Mormon Church Relief Program in Utah. Ozer points out that Utah ranks very high in the amount of federal work relief funds it receives.
July 14, 1938 - To Congressman Robinson from Brimhall stating that a congressman like Robinson probably did not need any assistance in a political campaign, but he is making a small contribution because Robinson has always supported progressive legislation.
June 20, 1938 - To Roosevelt, writer for
November 11, 1935 - Memorandum to Harry Hopkins from Stone regarding the reelection of President Roosevelt. Stone wants to make certain the WPA workers are strongly behind the President. He recommends that an Information Section be established in the WPA.
November 12, 1938 - To Wirth from Brimhall concerning Wirth's study on relief in Utah. Brimhall writes of Salary plans in regard to the study and he gives Wirth some ideas about how he should proceed doing the study.
In 1936 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) established their own relief and welfare plan. This plan was organized under the direction of Heber J. Grant, president of the church, for the purpose of taking church members off federal relief rolls. Brimhall collected a great deal of material (mostly newspaper clippings) dealing with the Mormon Church Relief Plan.
The
July 1, 1940 - To Louis Wirth from Brimhall telling Wirth that his work on the relief situation in Utah is very impressive and a real contribution to sociology. Brimhall points out that his study presents evidence that Utah received less federal funds than depression needs in the state justify.
Correspondence and study.
Photocopies.
In 1939 Dean Brimhall became assistant to Robert H. Hinckley, chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Authority. Brimhall and Hinckley conceived and organized the Civilian Pilot Training Program which was so successful that at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the number of civilian pilots had increased from 25,000 to 100,000 and the number of airplanes from 12,000 to 25,000. In 1940 Hinckley became the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Air and Brimhall again became his assistant. Brimhall was also given the position of director of research for the Civil Aeronautics Administration. In this capacity he conducted many experiments and investigations which were of great value to aviators and the field of aviation. Brimhall did a great deal of research in the field of aviation psychology. He did much in the way of determining whether a person had the right aptitude and was suited to flying. He also helped to achieve the relaxation of medical standards for pilots which opened the way for more people to become pilots. Brimhall also did research into the causes of accidents and was instrumental in developing safety devices in the field of aviation. The most important of these was the stall warning device, which warns pilots of an impending stall situation. He also directed investigations leading to more accurate and equitable proficiency flight tests for the air transport rating for pilots.
October 9, 1939 - To Robert H. Hinckley, chairman of Civil Aeronautics Authority, from Roscoe Wright defending Brimhall from the personal attack made by Wayne Parrish in the
November 26, 1940 - To Robert H. Hinckley from J. Edgar Hoover. The investigation of Wayne Parrish has been completed and a copy of the report of Special Agent J. C. Holmes is attached.
Letters to President Roosevelt recommending Brimhall for the vacancy in the Civil Aeronautics Board.
State reports.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration, prior to and during World War II, did an accident survey of the allied forces during World War I. Dean Brimhall was very actively involved in this study on the causes of aircraft accidents during the first world war. This box contains much of the research materials that were used to conduct this study. Most of the materials are quotations and articles from aviation medical manuals.
In September of 1951, Dean Brimhall was asked to serve as senior research associate of the Human Resources Research Center of the Air Training Command Research Advisory Board, which he did. The purpose of this board was to examine the psychological requirements in Air Training Command and to make recommendations.
September 26, 1952 - To Brimhall from General Robert W. Harper, extending an invitation to Brimhall to become a member of the Research Advisory Board.
The Educational Research Corporation, a non-governmental agency operating out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, was contracted by the Civil Aeronautics Administration to do research for them. The corporation conducted research studies and tests to determine accurate data about stalls of airplanes at low altitude. They also did experiments in recovery from airplane stalls at low altitude.
In 1950 the CAA entered into a contract with the ERC for them to conduct a study of seventy-five aircraft pilots who held certification cards. The pilots were to do instrument flying for the purpose of determining if present requirements for renewal of instrument certificates were adequate for safety purposes. The Educational Research Corporation proved to be valuable as an outside researcher for the Civil Aeronautics Administration.
The National Research Council, an agency located in Washington, D. C., was used extensively by the CAA for research purposes. The psychological research, in which Dean Brimhall was very much involved, was undertaken by the NRC in connection with the CAA. The NRC was also a part of the Committee on Selection and Training of Aircraft Pilots. The National Research Council was the strong right arm of the CAA Division of Research. The NRC also helped fund many of the research projects of the CAA, and helped in the research and publication of the CAA Division of Research reports.
Correspondence.
Contract with the Civil Aeronautics Administration, April 1952.
Bulletins, 1950-51.
Progress Reports, 1951.
Reports.
Correspondence, 1941-42.
Tenth Annual Meeting, 1942.
Seventeenth Annual Meeting, 1949.
Job Description.
Psychological research in aviation, 1940-51.
The Division of Research of the Civil Aeronautics Authority and the Committee on Selection and Training of Aircraft Pilots were in the process of writing a book on aviation psychology. There is no indication as to whether this book was ever published. A few chapters from this proposed book are in this collection.
The Civilian Pilot Training Program came about with the passage of the Civilian Pilot Training Act by the 76th Congress. This program, begun in 1939 by the Civil Aeronautics Authority, was to train civilian pilots and help increase the number of pilots who could be used in the event of war. These pilots were trained at existing facilities at universities and colleges and nearby flying fields. The initial program was a great success, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt recommended Congress increase appropriations for the program. Congress complied. The program was so successful that there were 100,000 licensed civilian pilots and 25,000 planes ready to go at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941). This was triple the number of pilots and double the number of planes less than three years previously. Dean Brimhall was very active in this program and worked closely with Robert H. Hinckley, chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Authority. The outline of this program is contained in Brimhall's papers along with some personal notes by him.
"The Relationship Between Physical Qualifications of Aircraft Pilots and Their Flight Performance," Dean Brimhall (speech).
A pamphlet by Dean R. Brimhall and Arthur S. Otis, also printed in the
Robert H. Hinckley and Dean Brimhall were very close friends. They worked together to make a success of Utah Pacific Airways, and later both worked for the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s. In 1939 Robert Hinckley was appointed chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Authority. He chose Dean Brimhall to be his assistant. In 1940 Hinckley was appointed to the post of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Air. In 1942 he left government service to work for Sperry Rand Corporation, but in 1944 was called back by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to be director of Contract Settlement. After Hinckley resigned from this post in 1946, he helped found the American Broadcasting Company. In 1949 President Harry S. Truman asked him to tour European countries to determine the success of the Marshall Plan. In 1965 he established the Robert H. Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah. Until the time of Brimhall's death in 1972, he and Hinckley remained in close contact. Both native Utahns, the two corresponded a great deal on a variety of subjects. For more information about Robert H. Hinckley, see Robert H. Hinckley Papers, Ms 102.
"Aviation in Our National Life," mimeograph;
"Aviation and Americanism," mimeograph; "The National Airport Program," mimeograph; "Civil Aviation Today and Tomorrow," mimeograph; "Utah in a Contracting World," typescript; "Aviation--Not 'As Usual,'" mimeograph
"We Must Air Condition America," mimeograph; "Civil Aviation and War," mimeograph; "Air Conditioning American Youth," mimeograph; "Youth and Aviation," mimeograph; "Dreamers and Doers in Aviation," typescript
"A Four Point Program for a Three Dimensional World," mimeograph.
"Aviation Education," typescript
The story of the Civilian Pilot Training Program.
Dedication remarks of Dean R. Brimhall, October 3, 1943.
Seating list.
Marriner S. Eccles was a close associate of Brimhall's as well as his brother-in-law. He was a successful businessman, and president of First Security National Bank in Ogden, Utah. In the early years of the New Deal, Marriner Eccles came to Washington to serve as assistant secretary of the Treasury. In 1934 President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to the Federal Reserve Board, and in 1936 he became chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Board. He remained in this post until 1948 when he was demoted by President Harry S. Truman. He remained with the Federal Reserve Board until 1951. Eccles, very interested in national, financial, and political affairs, was always active and successful in his business endeavors.
Dean Brimhall collected materials from various sources on the fall of the Roman Empire. This box contains his collection of the reasons for the fall of Rome.
The National Popular Government League was organized for the purpose of analyzing politics on a non-partisan basis and to help get needed legislation passed. The purpose of this organization is stated best by the words on their official stationery: "To Build the Needed New and Guard the Valid Old," Judson King was director during the 1940s and 1950s, until his death in 1958.
"Angry Man, A Political Paradox, Utah's Gov. Lee rides off in all directions under the banner of popular-unpopular economy," E. L. Hess,
Correspondence, 1948-49.
Correspondence.
Articles and arguments for and against.
Correspondence.
Speeches.
"Address...at the 1965 Commencement Exercises... [Brigham Young University]."
The proposal to move Ricks College, 1959.
Campaign for the United States Senate, 1964.
Articles in
Boxes 62 to 64 are primarily a collection of newspaper clippings about A. C. Rees, Orval Adams, and J. Reuben Clark. There is some material dealing with other prominent men in Utah. These three individuals, prominent men in Utah, were all very conservative politically. A. C. Rees served as a mission president for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in East Germany prior to World War II. He was also executive secretary to the Utah Taxpayers Association and manager of Utah Associated Industries. Orval W. Adams was a prominent banker in Utah and also outside of the state. He served as executive vice-president of the Utah State National Bank, president of the American Bankers Association, and later president of the Salt Lake Clearing House Association. J. Reuben Clark, lawyer and churchman in Utah, was a staunch Republican and served as under-secretary of state under Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover and as special ambassador to Mexico under President Hoover (1929-33). After President Hoover's defeat, Clark returned to Utah to serve in the First Presidency of the LDS church. The material in this section contains much on the LDS church and Utah and national politics in the 1930s and 1940s.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Hearings before the Senate about the building of transmission lines, June 1961.
Meetings, 1958-66.
Stockholders.
Case before the Public Services Commission of Utah.
Case before the Supreme Court of the State of Utah.
Articles.
Rate comparison with Provo City Power.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Publications.
Brimhall's notes.
Lila Eccles Brimhall, the wife of Dean R. Brimhall, was born in Ogden, Utah, on November 26, 1891. She attended Weber Academy and went on to the University of Utah where she began her theatrical career in 1913. She graduated from the University in 1914.
After graduation, Lila Eccles went to New York to continue her education and there met Dr. Dean R. Brimhall, whom she married in 1917. After ten years in the East, the couple returned to Utah where Mrs. Brimhall continued her career in the theatre. During the 1930s and forties, Dean Brimhall was in Washington, D. C., working for the government while Lila remained in Utah pursuing her own career.
Lila Brimhall received a master's degree from the University of Southern California and taught at the University of Utah in the Speech and Theatre Department under Maud May Babcock, Joseph F. Smith, and C. Lowell Lees.
During her career Lila Brimhall directed many productions. The Salt Lake City Little Theatre was able to exist mainly through her talent. In addition to directing plays, she performed extensively in local theatre productions including leading roles in
Mrs. Brimhall toured with Moroni Olsen and his players and was a guest star at the Pasadena Playhouse and the University of California at Santa Barbara. The last production in which she performed was the Pioneer Memorial Theatre's production of
A University of Utah Distinguished Alumnus Award was presented to Lila Brimhall in 1958. In 1960 she was appointed as associate professor emeritus at the University of Utah and inducted into the Pioneer State Theatre Hall of Fame on May 9, 1974.
Testimonial.
"Sumpter Valley Railway," Mallory Hope Ferrell,
"Memoirs of Bertha Marie Eccles," Royal Eccles and Margaret Shipley, 1929, typescript.
Birthday Party.
Theta Alpha Phi Honors, 1946.
"The Adventures of Bill Backwards," 1946, typescript.
Speeches.
Includes information concerning Beehive Honor Society, the Pioneer Theatre Hall of Fame, and poems written about Lila.
Newsclippings and program.
Newsclippings and programs.
Includes prominant actors and actresses of the day.